By the end of the 19th century this was a common and widespread species throughout Britain
save for the very North-west and the Hebrides. Orkney had recently been colonised but they were not
on Shetland. In Ireland they were only missing from the bleak and treeless areas of the West coast.
The birds continued to spread in Scotland and Western Ireland helped by new plantations and
soon reached Lewis and many other Hebridean islands. Breeding is still not recorded on Shetland
and the outer islands of the Orkneys  nor in parts of the North-west Mainland of Scotland. The
Greenfinch has become a very widespread and common feeder in gardens and this has probably
insulated it against potential losses due to agricultural intensification. There were some losses between
the two Breeding Atlases particularly in the northern half of Ireland and in upland areas in
Scotland and Wales. The CBC index has stood up well (overall 3% increase 1972-96) and recent
BBS indices over the five years 1994-98 show a healthy and significant 13% increase. However
the NRS shows a worrying recent (last 15 years) increase in nest failures.
This is one finch species that looks as if it might be coping rather well with the modern world.